Yesterday, I had to wait in the car for my wife outside some NHS satellite unit in a football ground. It was a real eyeopener. I wasn't able to park immediately as there was every bay and space taken, inc blue badge bays which she has a valid badge for. On a second run around there were some spaces on the road with a 2 hour limit. So I parked up there. It was obvious that the blue badge spaces were taken by non holders of the badges in most cases. I assume staff as no cars moved in the 1.5 hrs I was there. To the nitty gritty. A car pulled in behind me into a space large enough for a long wheelbase Transit van. His back end of his car (a Mercedes of the very small type about Astra size) He got out and realised he was about 2' away from the curb and got back in to realign his car. This went on for 15 mins until he and his wife were happy with it's position. Each time he moved it I was sure he would hit me in the back bumper. I don't think that he should have been driving. Then there were a number of cars that went along the bus lane and into a bus only section of road. Another tried to turn around in the road and nearly hit an approaching bus. Just a car in front of me was a rather large woman in a Peugeot. She was wearing what I can only describe a a very large head hugging hat with ear flaps, obviously made from a full sheep skin without trimmings. She was so big she couldn't see around behind her and failed to use the mirrors before pulling off into the path of a taxi. This had to swerve to avoid her. I wonder if we should really be having driving tests every 5 years if this is the standard of driving that I witnessed.
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